March 2015

Cape Girardeau casino foundation concrete poured

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

By Melissa Miller ~ Southeast Missourian

Workers at the Isle of Capri casino site begin pouring the concrete for the basin that will hold the floating casino floor Tuesday. Work continued throughout the night and required concrete from 40 trucks per hour, totaling 2,100 cubic yards of concrete.(Kristin Eberts)

Truck after truck came one by one -- about 40 concrete trucks every hour for nearly 12 hours -- to the Isle of Capri construction site in Cape Girardeau on Tuesday night.

The trucks delivered more than 2,100 cubic yards of concrete from Delta Companies' Cape Girardeau and Jackson plants to pour the foundation for the basin that will hold Isle's land-based casino's floating gaming floor.

According to Missouri statute, the gaming floor must "float" in a basin of water at least two feet deep.

"Basically, we're building a swimming pool of roughly 41,000 square feet," said Richard Meister, Isle's vice president of design and construction. "This is the bottom of the pool. It's a 12-inch slab, but what's significant is it has to be put together in such a fashion and with the right type of concrete so that it doesn't leak."

The concrete pour was done overnight to reduce traffic congestion and to take advantage of cooler evening temperatures.

"In real hot conditions, the concrete cures at an accelerated rate of speed. We want to try to control how that rate of cure happens," said Fred Jaekle, a vice president with S.M. Wilson and Co. "Fortunately, we've got a nice cool night and the sun and moon and stars are aligning to set those conditions for success."

Cape Girardeau-based Delta Companies has 47 trucks running throughout the night and 68 employees working at its concrete plants and at the casino site, said Jason Barber, account representative with Delta Companies.

To make up the 2,300 cubic yards of concrete needed for the project, Delta Companies used 500 tons of cement, 125 tons of fly ash, 1,500 tons of sand, 2,200 tons of rock and 75,000 gallons of water, Barber said. All these materials were purchased from suppliers in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties.

A normal job for Delta crews might be 150 to 300 cubic yards, so Tuesday night's pour at the casino site was an exceptionally large task.

The 12-inch-thick basin bottom must be perfectly flat, and cannot be more than 1/8 an inch off from one end to the other.

"This is absolutely from a foundation perspective the most important step because everything keys off this. All the other footings and foundations key off the basin. We've got to get that in, get the basin walls up and then we can start with the rest of it," Meister said.

Delta Companies will be working on other portions of the casino foundation, too, and Barber expects they'll be at the casino site until at least Christmas.

"We don't have a lot of opportunities to see pours of this size, so for us to be able to produce a ready mix concrete of this nature and this size is a huge opportunity for us to have this many employees working in this kind of economy," Barber said.

About 50 people worked on the concrete pour through the night at the casino site, and about 30 of them live within a 50-mile radius, according to Isle. Companies participating in this step of the casino construction included Anderson/S.M. Wilson Joint Venture, Vee-Jay Cement, Nip Kelly Equipment, River City Mechanical, Geotechnology, Delta Companies and GLA-Structural Engineer.

The casino building will cost $68 million to construct, according to building permits filed at city hall. The new casino has a total project price tag of $125 million, including the relocation of North Main Street, property acquisition costs, furnishings and casino games. Isle's Cape Girardeau casino expected to have 1,000 slot machines, 28 table games, three restaurants, a lounge and terrace overlooking the Mississippi River and a 750-seat event center when it opens in late 2012.

Once the basin floor is finished, it will cure for several days before crews begin work on the basin walls.

The overall depth of the basin is about 9 feet, the barge floating in it will be about 7 feet deep, said Meister. Visitors to the casino will never see the water under the casino floor, but there are access points in the design so that divers can inspect the barge and basin.

"We've actually got to put divers in a couple times a year to survey the barge. This barge is being inspected by American Bureau of Shipping. There's not difference between the certification on this barge and a barge that's going up and down the river," Meister said.

LeAnn McCarthy, Public Information Coordinator with the Missouri Gaming Commission, said Missouri Gaming Commission personnel were on site Tuesday for the pour and will continue to make routine inspections during casino construction.

Meister said people can expect to see steel going up at the casino site around Thanksgiving.

From reporter Jennifer Hall of St.Joseph News-Press now.com and the St.Joseph News Press

If the river cooperates, many St. Joseph casino workers will be back on the job this fall.“We think we’re past the high river (levels) finally,” said Craig Travers, general manager of the St. Jo Frontier Casino. The local casino, which has been closed since June 27, has tentative plans to reopen Oct. 1.While the main casino floor persevered, there was extensive damage done to the rest of the building. Mr. Travers said it was completely gutted and is ready for the rebuilding process.“We’ve been green-lighted by the insurance carriers,” he said last week. “It will still be dictated by Ol’ Man River but I think we’ll start (rebuilding) next week.”River levels continue to drop and as long as they stay below 27 feet, which is based on the levee behind the casino, work will go on as planned. The levels, which reached a high of 29.97 feet in late June and have been above major flood stage all summer, are expected to go below 25 feet this week.In the meantime, casino workers have remained on the payroll and dedicated gamblers are experiencing a new way to frequent a casino. Mr. Travers said that the casino continues to schedule buses to its other facility in Osceola, Iowa. Several buses make weekly trips.“Everyone has had a wonderful time,” he said. “So we keep them as happy as possible. Groups go up daily or stay overnight.”The two-hour bus ride hasn’t deterred many. Others have opted to travel across state line to visit White Cloud, Kan., or even head south to many of the Kansas City casinos.“I miss being able to spend a nice evening in St. Joe (at the casino),” said Dolores Whittaker. “But I’ve managed to find other things to do at area places.”“They do have alternatives,” Mr. Travers said. “Just like anything else they do on a continual basis, they find an alternative. Obviously I can’t blame them. But they’re loyal enough to know they’ll come back when we reopen.”There has been a financial impact with its closing.While most casino employees stayed on the payroll, other workers affected by the flood have been able to apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance. On Aug. 21, President Barack Obama declared six Missouri counties disaster areas. The declaration allows individuals affected by flooding in Andrew, Atchison, Buchanan, Holt, Lafayette and Platte counties to access the 26-week Disaster Unemployment Assistance program.Applicants must file a claim no later than Sept. 23.As far as revenues, the past two months have only slightly affected the city and county budgets. Since funds generated by casino gambling do not affect the operating budget, the closing only impacts one-time expenses.Based on actual fiscal year 2011 receipts for July through September, the city’s loss would come to $285,000, according to Carolyn Harrison, director of financial services. The city receives an average of $85,000 to $95,000 a month for the gaming fund. The county also receives funds.While only some projects have been put on hold or capped, most of the city’s contributions from the gaming fund will continue as planned.And with the casino possibly reopening in a little more than a month, there should be no long-term affects by its summer closing, officials said.

MGC Approves Proposed Rule Changes in DAP Program

Jefferson City, Missouri - The Missouri Gaming Commission has approved proposed rule changes altering the Disassociated Persons Program (DAP). The proposed changes include a five year option for those who apply and are accepted. This would allow a person just entering the program to remove themselves after a period of five years. It allows those already on the list, who have been on for five years or longer to petition the MGC to have themselves removed.

MGC Chairman James Mathewson says “A change is needed. The current program has been in existence since 1996. Missouri is one of three states with a lifetime ban and no other option for removal. It was time to modify and also approve some other housekeeping measures to the program, including streamlining the application process.”

The approved changes now become part of the State’s rulemaking process, and could become effective in March of 2012. There are currently 15,950 people on the Missouri Gaming Commission’s DAP List.

Those who are on the list are arrested for the Class B misdemeanor of trespass if found on a Missouri riverboat gaming casino floor.

The Chicago Tribune has a story on the Governor's stance on the stalled gambling bill. Reporters Ray Long and Monique Garcia write the story.

SPRINGFIELD--Gov.Pat Quinn opened a day of Democratic politicking at theIllinois State Fair today by criticizing legislation that allows slot machines at the fairground racetrack.

Quinn also expressed deep reservations about putting slot machines at horse tracks around the state, a key element in a gambling package lawmakers passed in May.

"I don't think we can have what's called cannibalization of gaming in Illinois, where there's so many different places there's gambling that it ends up hurting the overall product," Quinn said. "We have to do this in a prudent way."

Lawmakers haven't sent the gambling bill to Quinn out of fear he will veto it, and the governor continued his practice of picking apart the measure without saying whether he would reject it or sign it.

"Harness racing has been at the fair for a long time, but when you put in slot machines, that's a totally different situation," Quinn said. "I was never excited about that."

Asked if the proposal for year-round slots at the fair should be removed from the legislation, Quinn said, "I don't know what we're getting out of that."

Sen.Terry Link, D-Waukegan, said the issue of how to meet Quinn's overall concerns about the gambling package will be a topic discussed by Democrats today. But he said the provisions for slots at race tracks were critical to winning approval to the overall gambling package that also would put a land-based casino in Chicago and four other locations.

Casinos told to remember guests when marketing

Ginny Shanks has been with Pinnacle Entertainment Inc. for less than a year, but she's already affecting how the casino company markets its properties.

Shanks, who spent more than two decades with Caesars Entertainment Inc., admitted her job was not unique, and that the simple truth was "marketing is marketing" whether it's casinos, automobiles or cereal.

But she said there were several keys to implementing a successful marketing campaign.

"The first step is you need to define your brand," Shanks said during a presentation on marketing in the gaming industry at the eighth annual Casino Marketing Conference. "Remember a brand is not an advertising campaign."

She said Apple Inc.'s brand equity defines the company's image but not its financial results. In other words, Apple succeeds because consumers buy its products because the brand stands for quality and innovation, she said.

At Pinnacle, Shanks' first project was the Lumiere Place hotel-casino in Saint Louis.

"The property had been struggling to find its identity," she said. "It's located in downtown Saint Louis, which is crowded during the day, but can be a little scary for some people at night. The commercial we were running downplayed the location."

Shanks said you can't hide your location and trying to do so made Lumiere Place seem like any other casino. To create an identity, she recently launched new advertising campaign that would feature baseball Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith, football Hall of Famer Dan Dierdorf and other well-known St. Louis athletes to give the property the image as a place to be seen.

The 30-second commercial also includes a picture of the Arch. Shanks said that was done to let consumers know the hotel is downtown, "without being overt."

She also stressed that marketing campaigns should focus on what your casino can offer customers that no one else can, and that hotels need to shift their focus from customers' first trip to a casino to their second and third trips.

"About half of our (customer) database turns over annually at Pinnacle," she said. "Never be out of acquisition mode. You need to build a relationship. Get people in multiple times to cement that loyalty."

Shanks said some casinos don't understand that "cash isn't a loyalty driver." Most gamblers, they'll take the free $5, $10 or $20 in slot play but then return to their favorite casino.

"Focus on the relationship and the guest experience both on and off the property," she said. "Don't always be on sale."

The conference examining all aspects of casino marketing was held at Planet Hollywood Resort. Panel discussions over three days addressed how the Internet could increase slot revenues and how social media can be used to market a property.

Victor Rocha, owner and editor of Pechanga.net, also was honored with the 2011 Casino Marketing Lifetime Achievement Award. Dennis Conrad, co-producer of the Casino Marketing Conference, said Rocha was honored for his commitment to presenting the latest gaming industry news and information.

Meanwhile, the gaming industry is still waiting for the economy to recover.

Casino revenues are driven by consumer spending patterns that depend on disposable income, panelists said during a discussion on the recession's impact.

Although a wide array of nongaming amenities have become substantial revenue generators for resorts, gambling still drives those resorts' financial health.

"A turnaround in the housing market is key," said David Line, president and CEO of the business research firm InfoSearch International. "I think we are in this for a few more years to come."

Line said the gaming industry nationwide is dealing with a "new normal" of customers who have cut the frequency of their casino visits and who spend less when they do go out.

"The whole industry is built around discretionary income. People have less discretionary income to spend on gambling," Line said.

Panelist Michael Meczka, principal of marketing research company MM/R/C Inc., cited Federal Reserve figures to illustrate how the recession has affected the average gaming consumer.

Since 2008, he said, average consumers' net worth has decreased 28 percent and their wealth factor has declined by 23 percent. Meanwhile, the median value of a stock portfolio dropped 33 percent and the median value of a home fell 15 percent.

"It continues to be the economy," said Meczka, adding that this new universe will hold constant for the next decade.

The recession's impact has factored in the average U.S. household becoming more financially conservative, he said. Consumers are saving money, taking fewer risks with discretionary dollars and 1 in 4 plan to postpone retirement -- all factors that affect the gaming industry, he said.

Meczka said surveys conducted by his research firm show that people still go to area or locals casinos about as frequently as they did before the recession, although they aren't spending as much. He described it as consumers seeking a "low-cost, high-value" experience.

Glenn Goulet, chief executive officer of casino- and game-management systems maker Table Trac Inc., said the typical gambler's profile has changed in the past few years.

Goulet said a recent survey his company did for several casino clients shows the 55-and-older demographic is no longer the typical consumer. Today, it's the 35-to-49 age demographic, he said.

"Baby boomers are worried about having enough (money) for retirement," Meczka said. "People are also concerned that the recession is here to stay."